The Rain Clouds Below Us
A blast of hot sticky air hit my face as I got off the bus; my first instinct was to turn around and retreat back into the air-conditioned oasis. But unfortunately for me the bus doors had already...
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New York City also known as the “Big Apple” With so Many Wonderful Places to See
The big city of New York had always been on my list of places to go. As seen in the movies, the tall buildings and the thousands of people seem to make it all the more inviting!...
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The Art of Giving
Stepping off the bus, I was hit hard with the hot August air and the smell of burning forests miles away. I looked around this small, forgotten village in the Russian countryside and sensed the sharp...
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Destination Free Wifi
Getting up at 4:00am to go to the Airport is not what I had in mind for my first week of summer vacation....
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Personally Exotic
In the spring of 2012, my junior year of high school, I had the pleasure to go on a Royal Caribbean cruse to the Bahamas. It was for four sun filled days spent out near the beautiful clear ocean...
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Life in Sandwiches
My first morning on the Cherokee reservation was spent being sardined between hundreds of ecstatic teens from all over of the country on groaning bleachers in a dimly lit auditorium in beautiful...
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Passions found in Santo Domingo
I have been told my entire life that it is important to find something you are passionate about. Fortunately, for me, I was able to figure out that passion at the age of 8. That marks my first...
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A Tale of Two Countries
The scorching sun beams on my face, the dry, sandy wind blows by, causing me to squint my eyes, and the sizzling terrain burns my feet. Saudi Arabia is one of the hottest places in the world; it’s...
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Foot-sore and Fancy-Free
Ten AM local time, and we’re taking our first steps into Midway Airport on patriotic July Fourth. My family has no map, no plans, and no problems. At face value, our reason for coming here...
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Slovakia: Little Country, Big Heart
Slovakia. No it’s not near Kazakhstan. Nor is it in the Middle East. If your geography is failing you, does Czechoslovakia ring a bell? Actually, Czechoslovakia dissolved almost...
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My Trip to South Africa
Last winter I had an amazing experience in Johannesburg, South Africa. My father and I traveled with a group called Swamp Corps to help set up a church camp. Swamp Corps is a group from...
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Unexpected, Unforgetable
If I had to describe my travel experience at World Youth Day 2011 in only one word instead of six hundred, I would choose 'unexpected'. I embarked on this semi-annual pilgrimage...
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A Southerner’s Trip to the Middle East… and Back
Though I have had the honor of participating in a multitude of programs throughout my high school career, there is no doubt in my mind that none will ever be able to compare with studying abroad...
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A Shift in Perspective
Travel. That one word brings many images to mind. Beautiful locations and amazing times, new foods and different...
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And My Future Was Written To Be in NYC
It all started with Nick Jonas. I was 16 and madly obsessed with him and the Jonas Brothers. He had a Broadway show and I live 3000 miles away from it. So, I longed. I persuaded. I convinced. I bought....
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Far Yet Close in Nicaragua
“Buenas tardes,” A dark-skinned middle aged man said. “H-hola,” I stuttered,...
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Tales From a Mountain Side
After nine hours, I finally stepped off the small, confined plane into the cool Alaska breeze. Gorgeous mountains, peaks covered with snow surrounded me. The picture perfect scenery, as if painted...
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Service Trip in Mississippi
From July 15 to July 21, 2012 I, along with other students from Saint Ignatius went to Mississippi for a service trip. We stayed in Walls, Mississippi, which is the poorest County in the United States....
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The True Meaning of Wealth
Going to Nicaragua this past Febraury was a life-changing experience. I went with my temple, Temple Shaaray Tefila, and Bedford Presbyterian Church, on a trip sponsored by Bridges to Community. The...
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Key to Nature’s Door
I’ve never really been a nature walker, but after travelling to New York I have recognized the beauty and wonder of nature in its simplest and grandest forms. With my family, I visited...
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Just Take the Tube!
I had never been in England before. Rarely had I ever travelled without my parents in the past either. Yet both these situations somehow came together in my trip to London this summer with my brother. ...
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Japan: Connecting to My Heritage and Studies
Authors are awe-inspiring. They miraculously create vivid images and emotions which depict fierce battles, heartbreaking romance, historical societies, scientific discoveries, suspenseful adventures,...
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Wedding on the Westcoast
Having our mother work for the airlines for most of our childhood has provided us with great experiences that my sisters and I consider ourselves very lucky to have had. Unlike many of the people in our...
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“You Always Fall in Love with the First–My Bleeding Purple Heart”
I have been to Chicago many times throughout my life and I didn’t think this trip would be different. It was....
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Journey Back in Time
I felt a tapping on my shoulder, as I opened my eyes, half awake, I saw my Grandmother pointing wildly out the taxi window. I was filled with excitement as my eyes shot open and I stared outside....
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An oasis of serenity..11 miles away from a volcano
I felt my heart racing, my lungs begging for more oxygen, my feet hurting with every step and my brain screaming at me “Are we close? What were you thinking, bringing yourself all the way...
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Defining Alaska
Alaska…snow, Eskimos, and igloos, right? Well, not exactly. When I first touched ground in Fairbanks, Alaska, I was completely shocked. “This isn’t the Alaska that I see in movies and...
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Going West
The summer of 2012, my aunt, uncle and cousin Sasha invited me on a three-week trip to Colorado and Utah. I was there partially to keep my cousin company on while camping and touring state and national...
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The Colors of Joy
Everything’s brown. That was the first thought which entered my mind when I stepped off the train and looked at my Indian hometown Malda. I had been excited for my cousin’s wedding...
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Adventuring To Key West & Mexico
My trip began at the Port Of Miami where my petite mother Sharon bustled along trying to make sure everything is in order. My inaudible sister Brigette was ears deep in her head phones listening...
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A Yellowstone Dream Come True
Last summer, when I went on a family trip, was the BEST summer of my entire life. The memory of that special vacation is forever imprinted into my memory… and I smile to myself as I sweetly...
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Haiti=love=LIFE CHANGE
Chaos had flooded the already poor, small island country of Haiti, and they needed (as they do now) America’s help. At age 15, I went to Haiti naïve and ready to do “a good deed”...
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Garmisch: Place of Adventures
Being a military child, I get the opportunity to travel quite a bit. I have visited all over the world, lived in exciting places, and taken many vacations to places I never thought I would. Out of all...
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All Roads lead to Rome
March of 2012 My school took a group of students and parents on a trip to Italy where ancient history loomed. We all signed up on EF...
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EF Tours provided more than just an Italian tour for my family and I
Through the international travel foundation, EF Tours, I visited Italy this past summer for 12 days with my family and a group of over 30 from places such as North Carolina, New Jersey, and Michigan. ...
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“Dees mahn, bullsheet.”
Israeli philosopher Martin Buber once said, “All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” I have never entertained that notion until my...
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???? ? ?????? Children of the World: A Thai Kid Adventure
I was exhausted - mentally and physically worn out. I’d spent the entire morning taking a load off of the Thai teachers at a village school: entertaining and teaching some...
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Texas, My Own Personal Paradise
On July 5th I had the pleasure of waking up at 3:00am to get to a 5:15am flight. And since it was the 4th of July the night before you can imagine how well that went. When me, my...
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Big City, Big Dreams
For most kids in my school, spring break means a warm, sunny week at the beach, but my sophomore year, it...
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East Meets West
When I first arrived, I was cranky, exhausted, and annoyed. All I wanted to do was sprawl on a bed and sleep. Jet lag was not working well with me. On top of that, it took us forever to try and find...
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The Storm’s Second Light
The imminently haunting clouds of an incoming storm juxtaposed with the crystalline waters of Lake Michigan caused me an internal connection to my surroundings. In this divine environment composed...
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Grazie Scotland
After eight hours of sitting in a cramped space we arrived in London. As we crawled through security, I thought of Europe’s promises: meeting my family from different parts of the world, exploring...
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Finding myself in Deutschland
Last year I was given the opportunity to travel to somewhere I had always wanted to go, Germany. My family is German and my last name, Grosskopf, means big head, so I was always curious about exploring...
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Lessons from the Mountains
You probably think I'm nuts saying the mountains have no word for ocean, but if you live here you begin to believe they know everything. They...
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Spain at Seventeen: España 2012
How can a girl describe the wonder of traveling the world? What is it that makes an amazing trip? The food? The people? The landscape? In my recent travel to the magnificent and majestic country...
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The World of Hong Kong
My family and I moved to Hong Kong in 2010. We lived there for two years, up until this June (2012). Living there showed us how beautiful the world is. I have included a few things...
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Snorkeling at Molokini Crater
The sun shimmered through the crystal waters of Molokini Crater. I floated on my back in peaceful bliss. My dad, brother...
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58,080 Feet
I stepped onto the cross-county team’s coach bus, and pangs of nervousness tumbled around in my belly. Our bus, equipped with fuzzy-screened DVD players, chugged up...
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